It's almost a direct upgrade - all we really are doing is scaling up what we did with the 8" guns on the Salem-class cruisers.
Ah, a brand-new gun, using 1945 vintage technology!
Why not use the latest technology, since the R&D time will be the same either way?
It's almost a direct upgrade - all we really are doing is scaling up what we did with the 8" guns on the Salem-class cruisers.
Given the turret explosion on the USS Newport News in 1972, the problems don't magically vanish. You'll take at least as long, if not longer, for the gun and turret design as you would for an all-new rail or coilgun with much more capability.